No agreement on fire protection for New Middletown, Springfield

NEW MIDDLETOWN — Village council members told Springfield Township Trustee Rick Jones they are only interested in a fire contract with the township if it is a limited-year pact that ends in creation of a joint fire district.

Jones attended Monday’s council meeting to ask whether lawmakers are still considering the contract or “is this thing dead in the water?”

Council member Jack Novicky replied, “I’d hate to say it’s dead in the water, but I’d say it’s at least comatose right now.”

The two municipalities, each of which now has its own fire department, reached no conclusion after an Aug. 16 joint meeting on the subject.

At that meeting, township officials lobbied for a contract in which the township would provide service to the village, while the village wanted a joint fire district.

For the complete story, read Wednesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com